Radiating systems for affecting insect behavior

ABSTRACT

An insect decoy is provided that includes a vapor-isolated vessel, a chemical compound disposed within the vapor-isolated vessel, and an excitation energy source. The chemical compound may have one or more absorption bands at a set of absorption wavelengths and have one or more emission bands at a set of emission wavelengths. The excitation energy source may be configured to produce electromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengths so as to fluoresce the chemical compound and release photons at the emission wavelengths. The vapor-isolated vessel may be configured with at least one infrared transmissive window that is substantially transparent to the released photons at the emission wavelengths of the chemical compound.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/839,636, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to electromagneticradiation systems for affecting insect behavior.

BACKGROUND

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, for the U.S. Department ofAgriculture's estimated 913 million farmed acres, the more than 7billion bushels of stored grain, and the 100 million metric tons ofexported agricultural products is a multi-billion dollar industry in theUnited States. The worldwide problem of pest management is much larger.

Stored grain is transported all over the world by ship, truck, andplane. The distribution of grain is dependent on short to long-termstorage ranging from a few days to more than a year. The long-termstorage of grain has encouraged the exponential growth of many insectsand other pests that infest stored grain. One example pest is the Indianmeal moth. Augmentation of pest populations are facilitated by thevirtually unlimited food source found in storage grain bins orwarehouses. Estimated losses caused by pests in temperate climates cometo approximately 10-15%, but in tropical countries, the figure can be ashigh as 60%.

In less severe cases, unhealthy insect infestations, while not directlyconsuming the grain in bulk, greatly reduce marketability simply bytheir presence. Insect body parts or residues that can be found instorage grain samples thus create financial hardship for many farmers.On a state level, this monetary figure runs into the hundreds ofmillions of dollars, but nationally, it is in the billions.

Farmers and industry have turned to chemical management in the form ofpesticides and insecticides in an effort to reduce the pest populationsfound in stored grains and invading farmland. Several problems areassociated with the chemical management of pest infested stored grainsand the spraying of insecticides over millions of acres of crops. Theseproblems include chemical residues being left on grain destined forhuman or animal consumption, accidental human exposure to fumigantsresulting in death or sickness, corrosive damage to sensitive equipmentsuch as computers, and the potentially high financial costs offumigation, most especially at ports. These are serious problems thatall present and future fumigation companies must address. Further, theongoing research and development of even more potent and potentiallytoxic pesticides continues because insects are robust in their abilityto develop immunity over time to those chemicals designed specificallyto control their populations. Simply stated, the chemicals that work toreduce insect populations today will likely be ineffective in the futuredue to the insects developing resistance to the same.

An alternative to chemical management is the use of insect traps thatcontain artificially produced molecules called pheromones. Theseartificial pheromones may also be deployed in agriculture in order toconfuse the insects or disrupt mating. Typically in nature, thesemolecules are released into the atmosphere by the insects and are usedto locate a mate or to aggregate. Current pheromone traps have manylimitations. One limitation includes the relatively small number ofinsects trapped over a given period of time relative to the actualinsect population. There are no reliable figures to specify thepercentage of insects that can be successively trapped in a given area.Therefore, the traps are more frequently used to simply determine thepresence of a given insect population so that some other method ofpopulation control can be deployed, which is usually insecticidal innature. As a result, years of research wholly supports that the trapsare ineffective at significantly reducing insect populations in astorage grain bin or warehouse unless the traps are used in very highdensities. With respect to aerosol or lure deployment tor agriculturalcontrol of insects on farmland, it is an expensive proposition withnumerous limitations. Inclement weather, high winds, and other factorsall contribute to this type of deployment often not even beingconsidered as a solution.

A second limitation is the reduced longevity of the pheromone source orlure in conventional traps, aerosols, or lures. The longevity of thetypical pheromone lure is estimated to be approximately six weeks, basedon written information provided by the pheromone manufacturers.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Consequently, a system is provided herein to solve the above-identifiedproblems without the harmful side-effects of chemical management.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an insect decoy is providedthat includes a vapor-isolated vessel, a chemical compound disposedwithin the vapor-isolated vessel, and a naturally occurring orartificially produced excitation energy source. The chemical compoundmay have one or more absorption bands at a set of absorption wavelengthsand have one or more emission bands at a set of emission wavelengths.The excitation energy source may be configured to produceelectromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengths so as tofluoresce the chemical compound and release photons at the emissionwavelengths. The vapor-isolated vessel may be configured with at leastone infrared transmissive window that is substantially transparent tothe released photons at the emission wavelengths of the chemicalcompound.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an insect trap isprovided that includes an outer vessel and a closed, vapor-isolatedinner vessel within the outer vessel. The outer vessel may include ahousing and at least one infrared transmissive window. The housing mayinclude an opening configured to allow one or more insects to enter theouter vessel while preventing the one or more insects from exiting theouter vessel. The closed, vapor-isolated inner vessel may include atleast one infrared transmissive window aligned with the infraredtransmissive window in the outer vessel and a chemical compound disposedwithin the vapor-isolated inner vessel. The chemical compound may haveone or more absorption bands at a set of absorption wavelengths and haveone or more emission bands at a set of emission wavelengths. Theinfrared transmissive window is substantially transparent toelectromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengths andelectromagnetic radiation at the emission wavelengths of the chemicalcompound. The chemical compound releases photons at the emissionwavelengths when electromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengthsis received by the chemical compound.

Further features and advantages, as well as the structure and operation,of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detailbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that thepresent invention is not limited to the specific embodiments describedherein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposesonly. Additional embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in therelevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form partof the specification, illustrate the present invention and, togetherwith the description, further serve to explain the principles of theinvention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to makeand use the invention. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicateidentical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the leftmostdigit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which thereference number first appears.

FIG. 1A illustrates an insect decoy system according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exploded view of the insect decoy system of FIG.1.

FIG. 2 illustrates an insect decoy system according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an insect decoy system according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an insect decoy system according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an insect decoy system including an internalexcitation energy source according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an insect decoy system including an externalexcitation energy source according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an insect trap system according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken inconjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a radiating insect decoysystem for inducing behavioral changes in various types of insects.Inducing behavioral changes may be in the form of producing attractive,repulsive, or chaotic movement responses in various insects with respectto the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1A illustrates an insect decoy system 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention. System 100 includes avapor-isolated vessel 101. Vapor-isolated vessel 101 may include awindow 104, and a chemical compound 106. Vessel 101 may include sides120, 122, 124, 126, 128, and 130, as illustrated in FIG. 1B in anexploded view of system 100. Vapor-isolation may be provided, forexample, by hermetically sealing vessel 101 or by placing vessel 101under vacuum. As used herein, the term “vapor-isolated” does not require100% vapor isolation. A vapor-isolated vessel may be substantiallyvapor-isolated, such as 90-95% vapor-isolated if, for example, sides120, 122, 124, 126, 128, or 130 exhibit some degree of vapor porosity,100% vapor isolation is referred to herein as “completelyvapor-isolated.” Vessel 101 may be configured to be weather resistantand capable of being mounted or portably deployed in agricultural andstored grain environments.

In one example of this embodiment, chemical compound 106 emits infraredelectromagnetic radiation by means of fluorescence. Fluorescence occurswhen energy (e.g., light) from an excitation energy source is absorbedby a body (or molecule) at one or more frequency range(s) and isre-emitted at one or more different frequency ranges. The photonicemission is generally of a longer wavelength than the excitation source.

An absorption spectrum of a body is a plot of the absorption intensityof the fraction of incident radiation absorbed by that body as afunction of wavelengths covering the electronic energy levels of themolecules in the body. While absorption spectra can be recorded for anyabsorbing material, excitation spectra can be recorded only forfluorescent materials apart from their usual absorption spectra.

For fluorescent materials, there are two types of spectra, namely,fluorescence emission spectra and excitation spectra. Emission spectracan be recorded by fixing an excitation wavelength at a particularwavelength, while intensity of emission wavelengths is scanned. Therecorded emission wavelengths are obtained due to radiative relaxationsof molecules from a higher energy level to which molecules are excitedwith energy at the fixed excitation wavelength to various lower energylevels. In an opposite manner, excitation spectra can be recorded byscanning intensity of excitation wavelengths while an emissionwavelength is kept constant. In other words, an excitation spectrum willprovide all the wavelengths absorbed by molecule that will result in aparticular emission wavelength. All the excitation spectra correspondingto all the emission wavelengths can provide a spectrum which is almostthe same as the absorption spectrum, but which differs somewhat since asignature of absorption is not obtained if that absorption does notyield fluorescence emission.

Chemical compound 106 may be characterized as having one or moreabsorption bands at different absorption wavelengths and one or moreemission bands at different emission wavelengths.

As will be discussed in further detail below, the behavior of differenttypes of insects may be affected by different emission wavelengths.These different wavelengths may include different fluorescencewavelengths of the same chemical compound, or the different wavelengthsmay include fluorescence wavelengths of multiple chemical compounds.Therefore, one chemical compound 106 may be used as an attractant,repellent, or disruptive agent for different types of insects. One ormore chemical compounds 106 with different absorption and emission handsmay be used in decoy system 100 to target different types of insects.

Chemical compound 106, in an example embodiment, may include pheromonemolecules. The fluorescence characteristics of the pheromone moleculesresults in the emission of electromagnetic radiation at variouswavelengths in the infrared spectrum, referred to herein as the emissionwavelengths. These wavelengths may be detected by insects and cause achange in their behavior. If an insect is sensitive to the emissionwavelengths, such as those insects targeted by a specific pheromone,there are several types of behavior that may result from the insect'sexposure to the emission wavelengths. A first type of behavior is anattraction behavior. If the emission wavelengths correspond to thoseproduced by a sex or aggregation pheromone, an insect that detects theemission wavelengths may be attracted or lured to the pheromone as if itwere a mating signal or a call to aggregate, respectively. A second typeof behavior is a repelling behavior. If the emission wavelengths are toostrong or are representative of something the insect would perceive as athreat, an insect may be overwhelmed and repelled by the signal, or seekevasive action or cover in the event of a perceived threat. A third typeof behavior is confusion or chaotic response, which results when theemission wavelengths disrupt the insect from its normal behavior. Testshave shown that when some insects are exposed to certain emissionwavelengths, their behavior is disrupted. The insects may, for example,become abnormally active, using up their own energy resources such thatthey are unable to properly mate, or such that they die sooner thanexpected. The depletion of their energy resources may also produceunhealthy offspring, eventually resulting in an overall reduction in theinsect population.

The infrared fluorescence of the pheromone molecules allows the use ofpheromone molecules even though they are housed in vapor-isolated vessel101. In fact, the vapor-isolation of the pheromone molecules in vessel101 may enable greater longevity of the molecules than the currentmethods used for deployment, including traps and aerosols, which diffusepheromone molecules into open space. Dissipation, spreading, diffusion,or releasing of pheromone molecules into the open environment can causea decline in parts-per-million concentration and radiation release ratesas a function of time, such that their effectiveness in prompting insectbehavior is also reduced.

In an example embodiment, chemical compound 106 is deposited on oradhered to a single one of sides 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, and 130. Inanother example embodiment, chemical compound 106 is deposited onto aplurality of interior sides of vessel 101. Each side of vessel 101 mayhave deposited the same or a different chemical compound. As mentionedabove, different types of chemical compounds may be used to enable decoysystem 100 to affect behavior in a variety of insects. In anotherexample of this embodiment, chemical compound 106 may be deposited oradhered onto one or more substrates placed in vessel 101, instead ofbeing deposited directly onto a side of vessel 101. Other mechanisms,methodologies, and techniques can be employed to introduce chemicalcompound 106 into vessel 101, and are deemed to be within the scope ofthe present invention.

The chemical compound may be in liquid, gaseous, or solid form. Forexample, the chemical compound may be a gas or liquid that fills aseparate vial located within vessel 101, said vial being transmissive tothe absorption and emission wavelengths of interest specific to thechemical compound. In another example, the gas may be inserted directlyinto vessel 101, such that it disperses throughout vessel 101. Inanother example, the chemical compound is a liquid or solid disposed onan interior surface of vessel 101 or a surface of a separate substrate,which substrate is then placed within vessel 101. Any other number ofmechanisms may be employed to contain the chemical compound in insectdecoy system 100.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show vessel 101 as a cuboid shape having sides 120, 122,124, 126, 128, and 130, according to an example embodiment. However,vessel 101 is not restricted to being cuboid in shape or having otherstraight-sided shapes. Vessel 101 may be configured to be any type ofgeometric shape, such as but not limited to cylindrical, spherical, orelliptical. Vessel 101 may be constructed from a variety of materialsthat are configured to prevent substantial penetration of vapor orelectromagnetic radiation from chemical compound 106 through sides 120,122, 124, 126, 128, and 130. Alternatively, one or more sides may bemade of a material that prevents substantial penetration of vapor, butwhich is transmissive to electromagnetic radiation at the absorptionand/or emission wavelengths. Vessel 101 materials may include natural orsynthetic materials, such as but not limited to metals, non-metals,and/or alloys. For example, vessel 101 may be made from, for example andwithout limitation, high density polyethylene (HDPE) or low-densitypolyethylene (LDPE). Such materials may have transmissivity through 20microns, for example, to allow passage of infrared radiation whilerestricting other types of electromagnetic radiation.

In one example of this embodiment, the inner surface of one or moresides of vessel 101 may be partially or fully covered with a reflectivesurface. In an embodiment, chemical compound 106 may be deposited on oradhered to one or more sides having reflective surfaces. A reflectivesurface may include a mirror or like material that prevents, forexample, absorption of radiation from chemical compound 106 or passingof radiation from chemical compound 106 through vessel 101. The surfacemay be, for example, a first surface mirror. The reflective surface maybe reflective to electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths of theabsorption band, emission band, or both the absorption and emissionbands of chemical compound 106, according to examples of thisembodiment.

Window 104 may be transmissive to infrared radiation according to anexample embodiment. Window 104 may be transmissive specifically towavelengths in the emission bands of chemical compound 106. Window 104may also be transmissive to wavelengths in the absorption bands ofchemical compound 106. Infrared transmissive window 104 may be slightlyporous, thereby making vessel 101 less than 100% vapor-isolated. Forexample, infrared transmissive window 104 may be made from a materialthat is approximately 5% porous (95% vapor-isolated). HDPE is one suchmaterial.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, window 104 may be strategically positioned toallow emission of electromagnetic radiation from chemical compound 106through window 104. Although window 104 is illustrated as being locatedon top of vessel 101, window 104 may additionally or alternatively belocated at other sides of vessel 101, as long as emission of radiationfrom chemical compound 106 can be released into the environment externalto vessel 101.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate vessel 101 having a window 104 of a circularshape. However, vessel 101 may include windows in various shapes andsizes. As shown in FIG. 2, vessel 201 of insect decoy system 200 mayinclude a rectangular shaped window 204 that forms a side of vessel 201,according to an embodiment of the present invention. Window 204 may havesimilar transmissive properties as window 104. Yet in anotherembodiment, vessel 201 may include a plurality of windows withtransmissive properties similar to windows 104 and 204. The plurality ofwindows may form a vessel 301, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Even thoughFIG. 3 illustrates insect decoy system 300 as a vessel 301 having asubstantially flat, straight-sided window on each side, a window ofvessel 301 may take any geometric shape, such as but not limited tocylindrical, spherical, or elliptical.

In embodiments, window 104 may be directional or omnidirectional. Asfurther illustrated in FIG. 4, according to an embodiment, vessel 401 ofinsect decoy system 400 may include a lens, such as a concave lens, aswindow 404. Window 404 may be capable of focusing infrared radiationemitted by chemical compound 106. In an embodiment, directionality maybe additionally or alternatively facilitated with an internal orexternal reflector (not shown).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5illustrates an insect decoy system 500. Insect decoy system 500 issimilar to insect decoy system 100 of FIG. 1, but includes an excitationenergy source 516 within vapor-isolated vessel 501. Excitation energysource 516 may be an isolated system located within vessel 501, or itmay be an integrated part of vessel 501. Examples of excitation energysource elements include, without limitation, heating elements,capacitive elements, and solar energy elements. If the excitation energysource is an integrated part of vessel 501, then excitation energysource 516 is a part of vessel 501. In an embodiment, excitation energysource 516 is integrated into one or more sides of vessel 501. Forexample, a side of vessel 501 may be made of a dielectric material thatbuilds up energy as a capacitive charge. This energy can then betransferred to chemical compound 106.

Excitation energy source 516 may be configured to produceelectromagnetic radiation in the absorption bands of chemical compound106. Exciting chemical compound 106 with radiation produced byexcitation energy source 516 may result in the fluorescence of compound106. This fluorescence releases photons having wavelengths in theemission bands of compound 106. The electromagnetic radiation fromexcitation energy source 516 may be produced by various means, such asbut not limited to thermal, electrical, or optical, according to variousembodiments. In an embodiment, excitation energy source 516 isconfigured to modulate the electromagnetic radiation. Such modulationmay be electrically or manually induced, depending on, for example,whether the excitation energy source is actively produced, naturallyoccurring, or a function of re-radiation. Increasing the amount offluorescing energy that acts upon chemical compound 106, usingexcitation energy source 516, may increase the emission of radiationfrom chemical compound 106, which in turn may increase the correspondingvolumetric area in which insects' behavior may be affected. The greaterthe infrared emission from chemical compound 106, the more likely theinsect will be able to detect and react to the emission.

In another example of this embodiment, the infrared emission fromchemical compound 106 may be increased, for example, by increasing theamount of chemical compound 106 in vessels 101, 201, 301, 401, or 501.

The desired level of emission radiation is a function of the amount ofthe chemical compound and the amount of energy provided by theexcitation energy source, taking into consideration variables such asthe cost of the chemical compound, the desired volumetric size of theeffective area, and efficiency of the excitation energy source, amongother things.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6illustrates an insect decoy system 600. Insect decoy system 600 issimilar to insect decoy system 100 of FIG. 1, but includes an additionalwindow 617 in vessel 101 and an excitation energy source 616 locatedexternal to vapor-isolated vessel 101. Excitation energy source 616 maybe configured to perform similar functions as excitation energy source516. Window 617 may be transmissive to wavelengths produced byexcitation energy source 616. In an embodiment, window 617 may be placedstrategically with respect to excitation energy source 616 and chemicalcompound 106 to allow radiation from excitation energy source 616 toenter vessel 101 and excite chemical compound 106. As discussed above,excitation of chemical compound 106 with excitation energy source 616may result in chemical compound 106 fluorescing radiation at wavelengthsin the infrared spectrum, which are then released through window 104.Insects responsive to or influenced by radiation from chemical compound106 may be attracted, repelled, or confused depending on the fluorescingwavelength, depending on the intensity of the radiation emitting fromcompound 106.

In an embodiment, the window allowing radiation from excitation energysource 616 to enter vessel 101 is the same window that allows radiationemitted by the chemical compound to exit vessel 101.

For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 6 illustrates insect decoy system 600having one substantially flat and straight-sided window 617 that may betransmissive to radiation from an external excitation energy source.However, system 600 may have windows in varying numbers and in varyingshapes that are similar to window 617 in their transmissive properties.

Windows 104 and 617 of system 600 may be placed in differentorientations with respect to each other and may not necessarily beplaced as illustrated in FIG. 6. In an embodiment, vessel 101 of system600 may have windows transmissive to both wavelengths entering vessel101 from excitation energy source 616 and leaving vessel 101 fromchemical compound 106.

FIG. 7 illustrates an insect trap system 700 comprising an insect decoysystem 100 and an insect trap vessel 701, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. Insect trap vessel 701 includes an aperture 704.In an embodiment, insect decoy system 100 may be enclosed within trapvessel 701. System 100 may be strategically positioned in trap vessel701 such that window 104 and aperture 704 are optically aligned. Thisoptical alignment may enable infrared radiation from chemical compound106 to exit insect trap system 700 through window 104 and aperture 704to the surrounding environment. Trap vessel 701 may be configuredsimilarly to vessel 101 as previously discussed. That is, trap vessel701 may be impermeable to radiation from chemical compound 106. In thatcase, trap system 700 may not, be effective without optical alignment ofwindow 104 and aperture 704. When window 104 and aperture 704 arealigned, the released radiation from chemical compound 106 may attractinsects into trap system 700 through aperture 704.

In an example embodiment, aperture 704 is as circular opening on a sideof trap vessel 701, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The diameter of aperture704 may be varied to adjust for insect size and may be designed to allowfor insect entry while prohibiting insect escape once inside trap vessel701, as is common in the art. Although aperture 704 is illustrated asbeing circular, aperture 704 may form other geometric shapes, or may belocated at other positions, such as on sides of trap vessel 701.

In another example of this embodiment, aperture 704 may be attached to abarrier (not shown) that permits insects attracted by the emission fromchemical compound 106 to enter aperture 704, but may prevent insectsfrom escaping trap vessel 701. Aperture 704 may be, for example, aone-way bristle-type opening. Multiple apertures similar to aperture 740may be strategically formed in trap vessel 701. A sticky substance maybe disposed inside of trap vessel 701 that may prevent trapped insectsfrom exiting trap vessel 701.

In another embodiment, insect decoy system 100 may be located near, butexternal to, trap vessel 701.

In yet another embodiment, insect decoy system 100 may be located withina screen mesh forming an enclosed trap that allows the releasedradiation from chemical compound 106 to pass through the screen, thescreen mesh further allowing insects to enter but not escape.

In yet another embodiment, insect decoy system 100 may be located innear proximity to an electrostatic device that stuns or kills theinsect.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, insect trapsystems may be configured by integrating trap vessel 701 with otherinsect decoy systems, such as but not limited, to systems 500 and 600 asdescribed above. Trap vessel 701 may be configured to enclose systems500 and 600 in a manner as illustrated for system 100 in FIG. 7.

One example structure, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, uses solar radiation-absorptive materials that nocturnallyreradiate, serving as an excitation energy source. In one embodiment andby way of example, two intersecting triangles of solarradiation-absorptive materials may be combined to form a tent-likestructure. This tent-like structure of re-radiating material constitutesthe excitation energy source of the insect decoy system. Avapor-isolated vessel containing the chemical compound of interest isdisposed in the interior of the tent-like structure. A vessel wallsurrounding the excitation energy source is made from flexible LDPE orHDPE material. The vessel wall is doped with adhesive bands to captureinsects attracted to the chamber.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the abovedescribed exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An insect trap, comprising: an outer vesselcomprising a housing having an opening configured to allow one or moreinsects to enter the outer vessel while preventing the one or moreinsects from exiting the outer vessel; a closed, vapor-isolated innervessel disposed within the outer vessel and comprising at least oneinfrared transmissive window aligned with the opening of the housing ofthe outer vessel; and a chemical compound disposed within thevapor-isolated inner vessel, the chemical compound having one or moreabsorption bands at a set of absorption wavelengths and having one ormore emission bands at a set of emission wavelengths, wherein the atleast one infrared transmissive window is substantially transparent toelectromagnetic radiation in the absorption wavelengths andelectromagnetic radiation at the emission wavelengths, and wherein thechemical compound releases photons at the emission wavelengths whenelectromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengths is received bythe chemical compound.
 2. The insect trap of claim 1, furthercomprising: an excitation energy source configured to produceelectromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengths.
 3. The insecttrap of claim 2, wherein the excitation energy source is disposed withinthe outer vessel.
 4. The insect trap of claim 2, wherein the excitationenergy source is disposed within the inner vessel.
 5. The insect trap ofclaim 2, wherein the excitation energy source comprises an activeelectromagnetic radiator.
 6. The insect trap of claim 5, wherein theexcitation energy source is configured to be modulated.
 7. The insecttrap of claim 1, wherein the vapor-isolated inner vessel is at least 90%vapor-isolated.
 8. The insect trap of claim 1, wherein thevapor-isolated inner vessel is at least 95% vapor-isolated.
 9. Theinsect trap of claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared transmissivewindow in the inner vessel is substantially transparent to theabsorption wavelengths.
 10. The insect trap of claim 1, wherein thechemical compound is a pheromone specific to a given type of insect. 11.The insect trap of claim 1, wherein the vapor-isolated inner vessel isless than 100% vapor-isolated.
 12. The insect trap of claim 1, whereinthe vapor-isolated inner vessel comprises at least one internalreflective surface.
 13. The insect trap of claim 12, wherein thechemical compound is adhered to the at least one internal reflectivesurface.
 14. The insect trap of claim 12, wherein the chemical compoundfills the vapor-isolated inner vessel.
 15. The insect trap of claim 12,wherein the at least one internal reflective surface is reflective toelectromagnetic radiation at the absorption wavelengths.
 16. The insectdecoy of claim 12, wherein the at least one internal reflective surfaceis reflective to electromagnetic radiation at the emission wavelengths.17. The insect trap of claim 12, wherein the at least one internalreflective surface is reflective to electromagnetic radiation at boththe absorption wavelengths and the emission wavelengths.
 18. The insecttrap of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation at the emissionwavelengths attracts a given type of insect.
 19. The insect trap ofclaim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation at the emissionwavelengths repels a given type of insect.
 20. The insect trap of claim1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation at the emission wavelengthsinvokes a chaotic response in a given type of insect.